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Microscopic Fungus

Ringworm, unknown to many is not a worm or a parasite; it is instead a contagious fungal skin infection. Read on to know more about what does ringworm look like and what are its symptoms and available treatments are.What Is Ringworm?
Ringworm is a microscopic fungus that infects only the outer layer of the skin. Ringworm does not go deep into the body as it cannot live on mucous membranes in the vagina or the mouth.

Ringworm thrives on moist and hot parts of the skin and more so into those areas that remain hidden from direct light. To know what does ringworm look like you can log on to the various sites that show pictures of patients of people affected with this skin infection.

Here is a brief insight into what does ringworm looks like:

■ Ringworm occurs as round or oval red scaly patches on the skin. The color of the patches can vary from being pink to deep red.
■ The patches have a scaly border and are less red and scaly in the middle. They at times also have a healed look in the middle.
■ The edge of the ring is lifted due to the fungus. This part is the reddest and most scaly part of the patch.
■ This part also contains the pus and the fluid. It besides being moist can also be dry, crusted and scaly.
■ The lesion starts to heal from the center to outwards. At times the person would also experience another ring arise inside the previous one.
■ The fungus comes up as a coin-sized ring that is about one and a half to one inch in diameter.
■ People who have been hit hard by the skin infection often complain of extreme itchiness and irritation.
■ Once a person gets attacked by the fungus he would soon notice several patches of ringworm on his skin all in one go.

Cure For Ringworm
One who is inflicted with the infection must ensure that he does not scratch the lesions because if he does so then the infection would spread at an even faster pace. The condition can easily be treated with over-the-counter anti-fungal creams. Another common treatment is using tea tree oil which is a natural anti-fungal antiseptic on the patches. Ringworm on the scalp and the face would require anti-fungal shampoos and even oral medication.

You can always understand the symptoms better by seeing some pictures of patients who are afflicted by this condition. This would help you know exactly what does ringworm look like.